Mazda Helps Two Tradies Provide Over 2000 Hours of Free, Professional Mental Health Support

Mount Gravatt Mazda and Wippells Mazda have teamed up with Brisbane-based workwear brand and social impact initiative TradeMutt and their not-for-profit organisation; This Is A Conversations Starter (TIACS) to help drive more conversations about mental health around SEQ by wrapping two BT-50’s in one of TradeMutt’s signature funky prints.

Since 2018, co-founders of TradeMutt and former tradies, Dan Allen and Ed Ross have been on a mission to reduce the rate of suicide and start conversations about mental health amongst tradies, truckies and blue-collar workers by creating colourful and vibrant workwear.

But, not wanting to add to the plethora of advocacy and awareness organisations out there, TradeMutt is also committed to providing treatment and a solution for those who are struggling by removing barriers to help such as mental healthcare plans and session caps through their not-for-profit mental health support service, TIACS. In just under a year the service has already provided over 2000 hours of free, professional mental health support and already employs 4 full-time psychologists, with no plans to slow down anytime soon.

So, when local, family-owned businesses Mount Gravatt Mazda and Wippells Mazda saw the impact the brand was making, they offered to come on board to help take the conversations on the road.

“Dan and Ed are such likeable characters and their shirts are almost as colourful as they are.  They are both making positive waves in the community and what better way to strengthen their message than providing moving billboards in the shape of two Mazda XTR 4x4 BT-50’s” - Julian Mason - Director, Mount Gravatt Mazda

TradeMutt, which already has a cult-like following in the industry and over 42,000 tradies across Australia wearing their conversation-starting workwear were stoked with the idea and thought “what better way to reach tradies than with a ute wrapped in TradeMutt’s most popular print ‘The Ventura’?''

Samantha Bailey, Director of Bailey Print Group who supported the collaboration by overseeing the design, printing and wrapping of the utes couldn’t agree more.

“Blokes and cars, it’s part of the Australian culture and something that they openly talk about. We were convinced that by partnering with Trademutt to wrap the BT50’s in their eye-catching design that we would help Ed and Dan make a real difference by creating an icebreaker for men to not only start a conversation about a car but help them open up about their mental health issues and emotions. We have learnt a lot from the boys working with them on this campaign and hope that the cars create real conversations that can help, save or change people and their lives.” says Bailey.

The teams at Mount Gravatt Mazda, Wippells Mazda and TradeMutt are hoping that this collaboration will not only act as a conversation starter on the roads around Brisbane but that it will serve as a reminder to everyone that sees it that TIACS is a safe environment for them to seek help.

In the words of Wippells Mazda Director, David Russell, this collaboration is very special to everyone involved and “something money doesn’t buy”.